I wrote my PhD thesis in stem cell biology on “In vitro neurogenesis of adult neural stem cells from bone marrow and brain” and my MD thesis in neurology about “Reduced LRRK2 neurons in striatum of Parkinson’s patients question a retrograde disease mechanism?“. From 2006 I was postdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Alexander Storch at the Division of Neurodegenerative Diseases in the Department of Neurology at the Dresden University of Technology and the CRTD – Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden. My initial studies were on characterization of different adult neural stem cell types from murine and human brain and human bone marrow. Special impetus was put on the regenerative capacity oft he adult midbrain.

Since two years I am Co-group leader in the group of rare neurodegenerative diseases (neuroacanthocytosis, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, motor neuron degeneration) of the DZNE Dresden (PI Alexander Storch). I established an outpatient clinic of 5 Chorea-acanthocytosis and >70 ALS and FTLD patients in the region of Dresden. Main topics of my work now are human cell models of rare neurodegenerative diseases with special emphasis on neuroacanthocytosis as well as motor neuron degeneration (iPS cells).

Research and Clinical Experience:

06/2010-present Group leader: “motor neuron diseases” and Co-group leader “neuroacanthocytosis” in the Division of neurodegenerative diseases, Dresden University of Technology

12/2005- present Resident in the Department of Neurology, Technical University Dresden